ABSTRACT. Although several frameworks for assessing the resilience of social-ecological systems (SESs) have been developed, some practitioners may not have sufficient time and information to conduct extensive resilience assessments. We have presented a simplified approach to resilience assessment that reviews the scientific, historical, and social literature to rate the resilience of an SES with respect to nine resilience properties: ecological variability, diversity, modularity, acknowledgement of slow variables, tight feedbacks, social capital, innovation, overlap in governance, and ecosystem services. We evaluated the effects of two large-scale projects, the construction of a major dam and the implementation of an ecosystem recovery program, on the resilience of the central Platte River SES (Nebraska, United States). We used this case study to identify the strengths and weaknesses of applying a simplified approach to resilience assessment. Although social resilience has increased steadily since the predam period for the central Platte River SES, ecological resilience was greatly reduced in the postdam period as compared to the predam and ecosystem recovery program time periods.
Single-crystal time-of-flight neutron diffraction has provided atomic resolution of H atoms of HO molecules and hydroxyl groups, as well as Li cations in the uranyl peroxide nanocluster U. Solid-state magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectroscopy was used to confirm the dynamics of these constituents, revealing the transportation of Li atoms and HO through cluster walls. H atoms of hydroxyl units that are located on the cluster surface are involved in the transfer of HO and Li cations from inside to outside and vice versa. This exchange occurs as a concerted motion and happens rapidly even in the solid state. As a consequence of its large size and open hexagonal pores, U exchanges Li cations more rapidly compared to other uranyl nanoclusters.
The hydration of the coenzyme cob(II)alamin has been studied using high‐resolution monochromatic neutron crystallographic data collected at room temperature to a resolution of 0.92 Å on the original D19 diffractometer with a prototype 4°× 64° detector at the high‐flux reactor neutron source run by the Institute Laue–Langevin. The resulting structure provides hydrogen‐bonding parameters for the hydration of biomacromolecules to unprecedented accuracy. These experimental parameters will be used to define more accurate force fields for biomacromolecular structure refinement. The presence of a hydrophobic bowl motif surrounded by flexible side chains with terminal functional groups may be significant for the efficient scavenging of ligands. The feasibility of extending the resolution of this structure to ultrahigh resolution was investigated by collecting time‐of‐flight neutron crystallographic data during commissioning of the TOPAZ diffractometer with a prototype array of 14 modular 2°× 21° detectors at the Spallation Neutron Source run by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The Mara River Basin (MRB) is an international river basin between the bordering countries of Kenya and Tanzania in Eastern Africa. This study looks at several consumptive water-use factors that exist within the basin, as well as established environmental flow requirements, and quantifies the amount of water demanded. Subsequently, this quantity is compared to existing records of water availability for the dry season months of December through March. Hydrologic records, site interviews, population census data, and spatial datasets were used in combination with a geographic information system to determine water demand. Results show that the total current water demand within the basin does not appear to exceed water supply during periods of maintenance or average flow. However, current water requirements do exceed supply during periods of low flow for each of the dry season months, posing a serious threat to water resources within the MRB.
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